Sink stopper assembly

ABSTRACT

A sink stopper assembly includes cup and basket strainers. The cup strainer includes a bottom wall having a positioning hole, and a shoulder portion forming a seat member. The basket strainer is disposed in the cup strainer, and includes a receiving space, a handle extending upwardly from a base wall, a sealing ring to be seated against the seat member, and a retaining stem extending downwardly from the base wall to penetrate the positioning hole. The retaining stem includes a bent metal plate which has two opposite elastic arms, at least one upper protrusion, at least one lower protrusion, and a recess defined between the upper and lower protrusions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a sink stopper assembly, more particularly to a sink stopper assembly having a basket strainer with a metal retaining stem extending downwardly from a base wall of the basket strainer.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional sink stopper assembly 1 is shown to comprise a cup strainer 10 and a basket strainer 20 disposed in the cup strainer 10.

[0005] The cup strainer 10 is disposed in a sink 30, and includes a tubular receiving seat 11, a peripheral flange 12 that extends outwardly from a top end of the receiving seat 11, a pipe connecting portion 13 extending downwardly from a bottom portion of the receiving seat 11, and a bottom wall 14 formed in a lower portion of the pipe connecting portion 13. The bottom wall 14 is formed with a positioning hole 141 and a plurality of through holes 142 around the positioning hole 141. The cup strainer 10 further has an upper blocking pad 15 disposed below the peripheral flange 12, a positioning ring 17 threadedly secured on an external thread 111 of the receiving seat 11, a lower blocking pad 16 disposed between the sink 30 and the positioning ring 17, and a screw nut 19 threadedly secured on an external thread 131 of the pipe connecting portion 13 so as to interconnect the pipe connecting portion 13 with a drain pipe 18.

[0006] The basket strainer 20 includes a tubular main body 21, a sealing member 22 connected to a base wall 211 of the main body 21, a handle 23 extending upwardly from the base wall 211, and a positioning stem 24 that extends downwardly from the base wall 211. The main body 21 has a plurality of spaced-apart slots 212. The positioning stem 24 is made from a piece of metal plate which is punched into shape. The opposite ends 241, 242 of the positioning stem 24 are bent to overlap each other, and are riveted together with the handle 23 to the main body 21. The positioning stem 24 has a pair of inclined sections 243 that extend downwardly and respectively from the opposite ends 241, 242, a pair of positioning sections 244 that extend downwardly and respectively from the inclined sections 243, and a tail end section 245 connecting the positioning sections 244.

[0007] In use, the basket strainer 20 is disposed in the receiving seat 11 of the cup strainer 10. The tail end section 245 of the positioning stem 24 is inserted into the positioning hole 141 so that the positioning sections 244 of the positioning stem 24 move downwardly and engage the periphery of the positioning hole 141. At this time, the sealing member 22 engages the receiving seat 11 in a water-tight position, thereby preventing the draining of water in the sink 30.

[0008] Referring to FIG. 2, to drain the water, the handle 23 is pulled upwardly to separate the positioning sections 244 from the positioning hole 141. At the same time, a gap 25 is formed between the sealing member 22 of the basket strainer 20 and the receiving seat 11 of the cup strainer 10 such that the water can be discharged via the drain pipe 18.

[0009] However, since the positioning stem 24 is pulled completely out of the hole 141 when the basket strainer 20 is pulled upwardly, a large gap 25 is formed between the basket strainer 20 and the cup strainer 10. When the water in the basket strainer 20 and the cup strainer 10 contains food scraps, the food scraps can pass through the gap 25 and clog the drain pipe 18. Furthermore, the basket strainer 20 can be sucked down by the downward water pressure if the basket strainer 20 is released from pulling so that the positioning stem 24 will return to its original position, thereby obstructing the drainage of water.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,701 discloses a sink stopper that comprises a perforated strainer basket, a sealing member, an upwardly extending handle, and a downwardly depending locating stem. The locating stem, made of a plastic material, comprises a base portion and two substantially parallel spaced-apart co-operating legs. Since the legs are formed with notches and sloped grate-contacting surfaces, the strainer basket can be retained at a seated flow precluding position and a raised straining position. In the raised straining position, the strainer basket permits water to be drained but prevents solid, such as food scraps, to flow downward. While this strainer basket can overcome the drawbacks of the aforementioned sink stopper assembly 1, the locating stem is made of plastic, and is liable to deform due to its insufficient rigidity especially when subjected to hot water, which can soften the plastic material. Therefore, the retaining ability of the stem is insufficient and ineffective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a sink stopper assembly that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0012] According to this invention, a sink stopper assembly comprises a cup strainer and a basket strainer. The cup strainer includes a bottom wall, a tubular portion extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a peripheral wall extending above the tubular portion, and a shoulder portion connected between the tubular portion and the peripheral wall. The bottom wall has a positioning hole. The shoulder portion forms a seat member at a juncture of the shoulder portion and the tubular portion. The basket strainer is disposed in the cup strainer, and includes a base wall above the bottom wall, a surrounding wall extending upwardly from the base wall, a receiving space cooperatively defined by the base wall and the surrounding wall, a handle extending upwardly from the base wall, a sealing ring connected to the base wall and to be seated against the seat member, and a retaining stem extending downwardly from the base wall to penetrate the positioning hole. The retaining stem includes a bent metal plate which has two opposite elastic arms, at least one upper protrusion projecting outwardly from at least one of the elastic arms, at least one lower protrusion projecting outwardly from said at least one of the elastic arms below the upper protrusion, and a recess defined between the upper and lower protrusions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0014]FIG. 1 is an assembled sectional view of a conventional sink stopper assembly;

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a draining operation of the conventional sink stopper assembly;

[0016]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a sink stopper assembly according to the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 4 is an assembled sectional view of the preferred embodiment; and

[0018]FIG. 5 illustrates a draining operation of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the preferred embodiment of a sink stopper assembly 3 according to the present invention is shown to comprise a cup strainer 40, a basket strainer 50 mounted removably in the cup strainer 40, and a drain pipe 60 connected to a bottom portion of the cup strainer 40.

[0020] The cup strainer 40 is disposed in a sink 70, and includes a bottom wall 47, a tubular portion 46 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 47 along an axis Y, a peripheral wall 42 extending above the tubular portion 46, a peripheral flange 41 extending outwardly from a top end of the peripheral wall 42, a receiving chamber 43 cooperatively defined by the bottom wall 47 and the peripheral wall 42, and a shoulder portion 45 connected between the tubular portion 46 and the peripheral wall 42. The bottom wall 47 has a positioning hole 471 on the axis Y, and four slots 472 formed around the positioning hole 471. The peripheral flange 41 is mounted on an upper side of the sink 70. The peripheral wall 42 and the tubular portion 46 are formed with external threads 421, 461, respectively. The shoulder portion 45 is formed with a seat member 452 at a juncture of the shoulder portion 45 and the tubular portion 46. The cup strainer 40 further has an upper seal ring 48 disposed at a bottom side of the peripheral flange 41, an upper lock connecting ring 482 threadedly secured on the external thread 421 of the peripheral wall 42, a lower seal ring 481 disposed between the sink 70 and the lock connecting ring 482, and a lower connecting ring 483 connected with the drain pipe 60 and threadedly secured on the external thread 461 of the tubular portion 46. The positioning hole 471 in the bottom wall 47 has a lower portion formed with a guide portion 473 that extends downwardly and that forms a circular guide angle.

[0021] The basket strainer 50 is disposed in the receiving chamber 43 in the cup strainer 40, and includes a base wall 58, a surrounding wall 52 extending upwardly from the base wall 58, a receiving space 53 cooperatively defined by the base wall 58 and the surrounding wall 52, a peripheral edge 51 extending outwardly from a top end of the surrounding wall 52, a handle 55 extending upwardly from the center of the base wall 58, a sealing ring 54 connected to the base wall 58, and a retaining stem 56 extending downwardly from the center of the base wall 58 opposite to the handle 55 to penetrate the positioning hole 471. The base wall 58 and the surrounding wall 52 are respectively formed with a plurality of spaced-apart through holes 581, 521. The retaining stem 56 is made from a piece of metal plate which is punched into shape. The opposite ends 561, 562 of the retaining stem 56 are bent to overlap each other, and are riveted together with the handle 55 to the base wall 57. The retaining stem 56 includes two opposite elastic arms 566, a substantially U-shaped bottom end part 570 extending downwardly from and connected to the elastic arms 566, a pair of diverging parts 565 extending upwardly and respectively from the elastic arms 566, a pair of opposite top arms 564 extending upwardly and respectively from the diverging parts 565 and fixed to the base wall 58, a pair of upper protrusions 567 projecting outwardly and respectively from the elastic arms 566, a pair of lower protrusions 569 projecting outwardly and respectively from the elastic arms 566 below the upper protrusions 567, and a pair of recesses 568 each defined between one of the upper protrusions 567 and one of the lower protrusions 569. The upper protrusions 567 are formed below and are spaced apart from the diverging parts 565.

[0022] In use, the basket strainer 50 is disposed in the receiving chamber 43 in the cup strainer 40. At this time, the upper protrusions 567 abut against the guide portion 473 of the positioning hole 471, and the sealing ring 54 abuts against the seat member 452 of the shoulder portion 45 of the cup strainer 40, as best illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0023] During draining, the handle 55 is simply pulled upwardly so that the sealing ring 54 is separated from the seat member 452 of the cup strainer 40. At the same time, the upper protrusions 567 of the retaining stem 56 are pulled out of the positioning hole 471, the recesses 568 are registered with the positioning hole 471, and the lower protrusions 569 abut against the guide portion 473 of the positioning hole 471, as best illustrated in FIG. 5, thereby retaining the basket strainer 50 within the cup strainer 40 at a raised straining position. In this situation, a small gap 57 is formed between the peripheral edge 51 of the basket strainer 50 and the peripheral wall 42 of the cup strainer 40, unlike the conventional sink stopper assembly 1 shown in FIG. 1, such that the water is separated from the food scraps and flows out of the basket strainer 50. The food scraps are held temporarily in the receiving space 53 in the basket strainer 50. After the water is completely drained, the basket strainer 50 is pulled out of the cup strainer 40, and the food scraps are discarded.

[0024] As compared to the sink stopper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,701, the retaining stem 56 of the basket strainer 50 according to this invention can be retained more firmly at the raised straining position because the stem 56 is made of metal, which is more rigid than plastic, and because the stem 56 has the recesses 568 which are formed between the upper and lower protrusions 567, 569 and which can engage the periphery of the positioning hole 471 in the bottom wall 47.

[0025] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

I claim:
 1. A sink stopper assembly comprising: a cup strainer including a bottom wall having a positioning hole, a tubular portion extending upwardly from said bottomwall, a peripheral wall extending above said tubular portion, and a shoulder portion connected between said tubular portion and said peripheral wall, said shoulder portion forming a seat member at a juncture of said shoulder portion and said tubular portion; and a basket strainer disposed in said cup strainer, said basket strainer including a base wall above said bottom wall, a surrounding wall extending upwardly from said base wall, a receiving space cooperatively defined by said base wall and said surrounding wall, a handle extending upwardly from said base wall, a sealing ring connected to said base wall and to be seated against said seat member, and a retaining stem extending downwardly from said base wall to penetrate said positioning hole, said retaining stem including a bent metal plate which has two opposite elastic arms, at least one upper protrusion projecting outwardly from at least one of said elastic arms, at least one lower protrusion projecting outwardly from said at least one of said elastic arms below said upper protrusion, and a recess defined between said upper and lower protrusions.
 2. The sink stopper assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bent metal plate further comprises a substantially U-shaped bottom end part extending downwardly from and connected to said elastic arms, a pair of diverging parts extending upwardly and respectively from said elastic arms, and a pair of opposite top arms extending upwardly and respectively from said diverging parts and fixed to said base wall.
 3. The sink stopper assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bent metal plate includes a pair of said upper protrusions projecting outwardly and respectively from said elastic arms, a pair of said lower protrusions projecting outwardly and respectively from said elastic arms below said upper protrusions, and a pair of said recesses each defined between one of said upper protrusions and one of said lower protrusions.
 4. The sink stopper assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said upper protrusion is formed below and is spaced apart from said diverging parts. 